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Monday, January 14, 2013

VERY GOOD REASONS TO STOP SMOKING

Our office has been
successful in San Francisco Bay area courts requiring smokers to not smoke in
their vehicles and not smoke in their homes, or on their decks when children
are in the care of a smoker. Clearly, the modeling that goes on when a parent
chooses to smoke while raising children is counter intuitive. It sends the
lesson that I do not care about my health, my children’s health or that of
others who may breathe my second hand smoke. It sends the false message that
the dangers of it are not going to happen to me. It may send the message that
it is necessary to relax or be cool. It provides opportunities for children’s
access to harmful addictive tobacco.

Secondhand smoke, also called environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), can have an impact on child custody decisions. The possible consequences of parental smoking in a custody case can range from termination of parental rights or a change of custody and restrictions on visitation to the smoking parent receiving custody with smoking restrictions and a requirement for follow up reports to the court.

First, here are a few facts about secondhand smoke that courts have already taken judicial notice of.

Secondhand smoke consists of mainstream smoke exhaled from a smoker's lungs and sidestream smoke that comes directly from the burning tobacco.

Secondhand smoke comes from all tobacco products, including pipe tobacco and cigars.

Secondhand smoke is a Class A carcinogen. That puts it in a class with 15 other substances, including asbestos, radon and benzene, that are known to cause cancer in human beings.

Secondhand smoke contains 4,000 substances with more than 40 of them known to cause cancer and many of them known to be strong irritants to human tissues and organs. Examples of these substances are: carbon monoxide (CO), ammonia, nicotine, hydrogen cyanide, benzo[a]pyrene, dimethylnitrosamine, tar, formaldehyde, and beta-naphthylamine.

The chemicals in secondhand smoke damage cell DNA.

Here are a few facts about how involuntary smoking, or passive smoking, effects children:

Children, especially infants and toddlers, exposed to secondhand smoke have more lower respiratory infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, and are more likely to be hospitalized during the first two years of their lives for a serious lung problem.

About Me

Renee Marcelle has practiced law since 1983. Renee was admitted to practice law in Virginia in 1983 and California in 1988.
Prior to starting her practice in family law and dissolution, Renee was a seasoned corporate lawyer and real-estate professional. This background enables her to synthesize her knowledge of corporate law, mortgage banking, finance, and real-estate development, into family law.
Experience in the practice of law is crucial to the success of a client’s case, but in addition to Renee’s outstanding experience, she also has strong negotiation skills, extensive financing abilities, and she possesses an understanding of business valuation models, all of which applies to various aspects of family law and dissolution.
Renee’s extensive skills and twenty-five years of experience allow her to be specifically effective in representing professionals, executives, business owners, and high income individuals whom often have special challenges during dissolution.
Renee provides clients the high level of expertise that they deserve.

Dawn Miller: Paralegal/ Office Manager

Dawn Miller has been a Legal Assistant and the Office Manager for the Law Offices of Renee M. Marcelle since July of 2004. She maintains a high level of client contact assisting in all aspects of preparing a case; beginning with the initial filing of documents through the date of trial, including discovery requests, expert review and analyzation of discovery responses and fact investigation, thereby saving the client money. Dawn has worked in the area of family law since 1993, upon her graduation from the Legal Secretary Program at Empire College of Law. Dawn especially enjoys her job at the Law Offices of Renee Marcelle and hopes to continue providing a high level of service to the firm and it's clientele for many years to come.